Katniss As we Know it
by Clara Christine Eveline
Summary: Set during Mockingjay when Katniss and Co. are escaping the white, reptile, mutts beneath the Capitol. But all does not go as planned, when Peeta has one of his "moments". This is an alternate ending/event. Katniss & Peeta POV's.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfiction; they are all rightfully Suzanne Collins'.**_

_**So this is my first story on . I hope you like it; it's a little tragic though. It is set during Mockingjay (so obvious spoiler alert) and it picks up from when "The Star Squad" are escaping reptilian, white, mutts in the tunnels beneath the Capitol. This is basically an alternate ending/event. Enjoy! Oh, and reviews are greatly appreciated, they let me know people are actually reading my work!**_

Katniss as we Know It

Katniss P.O.V.:

Gale climbs up the ladder and onto the cold ground. His neck bleeds freely; a mutt must have got him. I wait impatiently for the rest of our squad to arrive. I count the remaining people. Soon enough, I quit. I haven't the heart to see who _isn't_ here. I rock back and forth on my heels trying to block out the terrible sounds below. But one sound forces me back into reality. The groan is far and distant and unmistakably Finnick's. I scramble to the edge of the hole and follow the ladder down with my eyes. There lies a bloody blob, which apparently is still alive. My heart sinks as I see Finnick's despair. "Finnick!" I shout. He turns his head towards my voice, and I'm met with pleading, sea green eyes.

Gale seems to notice my urge to help Finnick, and orders me, "No Katniss", he says. Surprisingly, his voice is steady. I guess he's trying to convince me not to go and help Finnick. "He can't be saved."

But people have never been very good at making me follow their orders. I slide down the ladder before Gale can stop me. Down below, a mutt is dangerously close to Finnick's neck. I shoot the mutt in the brain without a second glance. This gives me time to get in a position to guard Finnick. There are plenty more mutts around, but hopefully I have enough arrows and bullets.

"Leave, Katniss!" Finnick's voice is hoarse and raspy. "Go while you still can!" His voice cracks. Talking weakens him.

"No," I say firmly while blasting a mutt's head clean off, "You deserve life more than I. Annie and your unborn son need you." Finnick seems to give up on talking; it probably would kill him if he tried anymore. _I'm stupid,_ I think. How could I possibly think that I could defend Finnick, who is probably good as dead, against what, like fifty or more vicious mutts? But something from above interrupts my thoughts.

"C'mon Katniss!" says a gruff voice. Gale. He climbs down the ladder and pulls on my shirt. Why won't he just let me do what I want? I think.

"No!" I shriek. I won't let anyone else die for me; especially Finnick. All this death only adds to my misery and President Snow's pleasure. But Gale has always been stronger than I, and he hoists me up the ladder. My dreams for keeping Finnick safe are crushed, and I stop fighting as Gale pulls me along.

Peeta P.O.V.:

I vaguely remember being hurried up the ladder by Cressida to escape rampaging mutts. I sit, cradling my head in my hands.

"Why are we still sitting here?" I ask no one in particular. When I hear no answer I look up from my hands, and then I realize how _little_ of us are left. But my thoughts become confused as an _episode _attacks me. Suddenly, I feel my fists ball up and I'm clenching my teeth. "She did this!" I shout. It's all clear to me now, If Katniss just died like she should have in the arena, then none of these people would be dead right now. Katniss is a filthy mutt, who causes death and destruction wherever she goes. My sudden outburst has caused Cressida and a few others to look up startled. Before I can continue my rant against Katniss, I hear voices emerge from the hole with the ladder.

"Stop resisting!" I hear Gale shout as he emerges with a fear-stricken Katniss from the hole.

A painful moan comes from deep down in the tunnels. I look around to see who isn't here. _Finnick._ I think. Then the realization hits me, Finnick is being gnawed on by filthy mutts, and Katniss was probably trying to tear him apart too. One final scream and I know it's over for him. The fragile allegiance I have been trying to keep with Katniss is broken in that instant.

"You stinking MUTT!" I scream at Katniss. "You trying to kill Finnick?" I harshly push Katniss towards the hole again. To send this demon to whatever Hell she came from. "All of these deaths are your fault!"

"No, Peeta. Shh…Shhh…" Katniss says trying to console me. She's obviously trying to appear innocent against all the murders she has committed. But I can hear the fear in her voice. Good, I think. This mutt deserves to be afraid of me.

"I can't believe you." I snarl as both my feet crush her wrists. How dare she think that her 'soothing' words will make me forget her actions? Katniss is now teetering on the edge of the dark hole, held only in place by my feet on her wrists.

"Back off!" Gale growls as he lunges for my arms to wrestle me away from Katniss.

I almost laugh at his feeble attempt. I have always had muscle, more than him at least. So I easily give him a punch to the face that knocks him unconscious. Blood spurts from Gale's nose, but in his state, he won't feel anything at all. My mind is directed back to Katniss as she lets out a quiet whimper.

"Peeta, please, you love me." Katniss pleads. She's desperately trying to make me love her again. No chance of that happening.

"MUTT!" I scream, spraying her with spit.

The rest of our squad try to help, but back away hearing my last outbreak towards Katniss.

"Remember the bread, Peeta?" Katniss asks quietly.

A shadow of recognition flutters through my mind at the thought. A starving girl, out in the rain. She is rooting through the bakery's trashcans, desperate for food. I love this girl. Ever since the first day of kindergarten. I purposely burn the bread I'm supposed to be baking. Seeing this, my mother slaps me hard on my cheek. She tells me to give it to the pigs. I walk out into the rain and toss the bread to the pigs. Then, silently, I toss it to the girl. She hungrily takes it and looks into my eyes. We both know I have saved her and her family from starvation.

But this memory is overpowered by the lies – no, truths – that the Capitol has told me about Katniss. She is a mutt, and killed lots of people, always wanting to hurt others. So I respond coldly to her: "You can't exactly replace everyone with bread, Katniss."

"But-" Katniss begins to mumble.

She doesn't have time to finish her sentence. My decision is made. I dig my heels into her flesh and force her back into the dark hole from which she came. With a single movement I shove her and she topples over the edge. "I hope you find Hell!" I scream at her. That is her origin anyways.

Katniss screams, a horrible scream, as she plummets to her sure death. The sounds become lost as she lands at the bottom. _Thud!_ A sickening sound indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's the next chapter! Thank you to my first three reviewers! Hopefully others will follow in their footsteps. I've already got one "Story favorites" too! Let's keep this up. I'm sorry this is a super short chapter, but I promise you, there is more to come! Also, a final Katniss P.O.V. and her final thoughts coming soon. But hopefully, a Peeta P.O.V. will suit your needs for now. **_

Katniss as We Know it

Peeta P.O.V.:

I hear the thud from Katniss falling echo through the chambers below. It's a slow, metallic sound that vibrates through my bones. I smile. _The evil mutt is dead! She can do no more harm!_ I think cheerfully. But my happy mood soon disintegrates. I glance over at Pollux and Cressida. They seem sad. Their eyes glance fearfully from me to the hole that holds Katniss.

"Why aren't you glad?" I ask. Shouldn't they be?

"The question is," Pollux says quietly "Why are you?"

At first, I'm perplexed at the question. Katniss is obviously dead or dying, so that means the mutt can harm us no more. For a split second, I feel proud that I got rid of _the problem_, but soon my episode ends and I'm left a brainwashed fool. The full extent of my actions is now clear to my eyes. _I killed Katniss Everdeen! I KILLED Katniss Everdeen! The love of my life!_

"I killed Katniss Everdeen!" My thoughts spill out my brain and into my mouth. I stand there for a few frustrating moments before I speak again. "Real or Not Real?" I practically yell while asking the question.

Cressida finally decides to speak up, "Real..." she whispers.

I have never been one to cry, but now, I let everything loose. My whole point in life was to protect Katniss, ever since that first day of Kindergarten. What's the point of living now?

"It's my fault!" I scream. The cause of my scream, is because my heart is literally breaking. How could I have done such a monstrous thing? I know it really is my fault when no one tries to comfort me. I curl up in the tightest ball possible, and start to tremble. My hands are shaking so badly, that they can't even hold my head. I sob. The sobs rack through my whole body. They travel through every vein and out my skin. My sadness transfers to those left around me. I eventually start hearing them sniffle, but their cries are nowhere near the intensity of mine. Oddly, I begin to feel my memories of the past few minutes fade and I'm left to wonder where Katniss is. I determine this must be another one of the effects from my hijacking.

"What did I do, exactly?" I stammer while trying to stand up.

"You knocked out Gale." Pollux says. He's hiding something, I can tell.

I turn to my right to see a bloody, unconscious Gale lying on the pavement. I figure Gale probably deserves this for always making me jealous of him and Katniss. _Katniss!_ Where did she go? I turn back to Pollux expecting an answer. I only realize then that the question was only asked in my head.

"Where is Katniss?" I ask impatiently. She must be around here somewhere. Pollux doesn't answer. "Where is Katniss?" I shout. He doesn't reply for a few moments, and I consider strangling him for answers, but he finally does.

"Sh-She's down that hole." He says pointing.

Why on Earth would Katniss be down there, I mean there's muttations down there. _No. No, no, no._ I think.

"The mutts, they ate her!" I say completely terrified.

"No, Peeta. You-you…" Pollux stammers.

"I what?" I ask. He is being very frustrating today.

Cressida fills in for him: "You pushed her" she says. "And, also told her to, um, 'find Hell'."

I am surprised. I almost never cuss. But the first part of what she says finally makes sense. _I pushed her to her death._ At that moment, all my memories from the past few minutes flood back into my mind. And I remember what I did. The tears come again, but this time, even harder. My shoulders sag, and my tears make it near impossible to keep my eyelids open. "I what?" I repeat the question, even though I heard Cressida perfectly. She seems to know I heard her the first time, so she doesn't respond. But I know the truth now, so I don't press her again. My brain is only able to form one thought: I killed _my_ Katniss. And now, I gulp, she's gone.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you guys sooooo much for your reviews and stuff! I'm glad you're enjoying my writing, good you're finding it entertaining too. Making me feel loved! 3 Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Just if you hadn't figured it out yet, italics are either memories or that person thinking. I'm also sorry I haven't updated in the past few days, but how fast can a 13 year old write? Apparently not fast enough. I'll stop blubbering on now so you can read this chapter, lol. **_

Katniss as We Know it

Katniss P.O.V.:

Peeta shoves me harshly down into the dark abyss filled with mutts.

"I hope you find Hell!" I hear him scream at me. Peeta almost _never_ cusses, so I'm taken by surprise from his choice of words.

But my surprised thoughts quickly fade, as I realize I'm plummeting to my sure death. I am falling. It's not the obvious fact that I'm going to die that hurts me, it's that Peeta, _my_ Peeta who I thought was going to recover, hoped, he actually hoped, that I would die a terrible death. He's probably laughing right now; imagining mutts tearing open my flesh. The thought sends shivers down my spine. But there is other emotional pain too. My best friend and hunting partner Gale. He will surely try to kill Peeta for murdering me. _That's not supposed to happen!_ Peeta should've never been in my life. I was planning to simply grow old with no children. Gale was to be my best friend for eternity. Prim was never supposed to be reaped, and I shouldn't have been in the Hunger Games.

And then I realize. Prim. I will never be able to stroke her hair or hold her ever again. This sends tears streaming down my face. How will I ever apologize for dying and not being there for her now? Even her stupid, cream colored cat: Buttercup. I have to admit I wish I could ruffle his fur one more time. And my poor mother. She was heartbroken when Dad died, but now that I'm gone too? I know what she will do. She will isolate herself again, and leave Prim to fend for herself. _I can't let that happen!_ And suddenly, I have an urge to live. I try to climb out from wherever I am, but soon realize it's pointless. There's nothing to grab onto when you're falling. So, I sigh and begin my moping as before. I decide to make a list of whom I will never see again, It'll at least give me something to do while I wait for death. _Peeta, Prim, Gale, Mother, Paylor, Haymitch, Pollux, Cressida, President Coin, Annie, Annie's unborn son, Buttercup – I think reluctantly, Johanna, Rory, Posy, Vick, Delly, Enobaria, Beetee, and lots of others. _I think. But one snakelike person I'm glad to be rid of is Snow. President Snow if you rather. For one terrifying moment I hope the rebellion will fail so he doesn't join me in wherever I'm going. I quickly shake off that thought though. Selfish of me to wish for thousands of others to die just so I can be happy in my afterlife. Very selfish indeed.

Suddenly, my throat feels raw. I stop my train of thought and I hear something. _Screaming._ Wait, that's _my_ screaming. It's strange how you aren't aware of anything while you're in deep thought. My voice sounds miserable. I will only be the one who knows the story behind the misery. Everyone who hears it will think I'm terrified of my awful death. But really, I'm terrified of how my loved ones, most of all Prim, will react to my death. They'll probably be tortured for the rest of their life.

I have failed the rebels. I've extinguished any hope of a "Hunger Games" free life. Surely, once the rebels hear of my death, they won't still try to fight back, right? I dying will most likely crush their spirits. After all, I was the fuel to the flames. The Mockingjay. Now that I'm gone, there is nothing left to feed the fire.

_Thud!_ My thoughts are stopped as I land suddenly at the bottom of the hole. _I really did think a lot in the amount of time I was falling._ I'm lying on cement it seems. My body aches from the impact and I immediately begin whimpering. Breaths come raspy if they come at all, and the smell of blood fills the air. I know I will die soon. Almost magically, the pain from my neck down ceases. I'm left to wonder why. My head still throbs though. I try to move in a comfortable death position, but my body doesn't respond. That's when it hits me. _I'm paralyzed! _Cold seeps through my blood turning my face pale. The fall must've severed my spinal cord. But does it really matter? When you're going to die anyway, does it _really_ matter if you're broken even more?

A growl beckons to me a few feet away. And I remember the mutts. They prance towards me, nipping at my legs. More surround me and start to tear off chunks of meat. My stomach flip-flops at the gory scene. You'd think I would be screaming. But there is no feel of teeth sinking into my flesh; my paralysis has taken care of that.

Using my peripheral vision, my eye catches something a few yards away. Concentrating hard not to black out, I stare at the red lump. It dawns on me that Finnick Odair is my human counterpart in these tunnels.

"I'll join you soon," I promise to him. Speaking is very hard and uses almost all my strength. But I will not just die; I will stay here and accept death like an old friend.

One grotesquely large mutt trots over to my face and looks at me sinisterly. _This is it_. I think. The mutt gets into position to snap my neck. But he looks at me as if almost saying _"Any last words?"_ I think to myself _yes_ and begin my speech, my last taste of words. And I know they will never be heard.

"I love you Mother, Prim, Gale…" I whisper them. Savoring every syllable.

"And, and…" I say the next part louder, hoping that somehow the noise will travel so that Peeta can hear this last part. "I love you Peeta…" And I do love him. I knew I would end up with him anyway. It's not his fault that the Capitol turned him into their toy. Peeta loves me too, and now, I regret leaving this world. This is only confirmed when I hear sobs come from the top of the ladder.

The mutt lunges forward and closes his jaws around my neck. I suck in a big breath and close my eyes. But before I pass, I'm able to steal a few more words with me. This time, I'm not the one who speaks them.

"I love you too, Katniss" I hear Peeta's sweet, soft voice flutter down through the hole.

I'm able to grin, a wild, psychotic grin. _He heard me! Peeta loves me!_ And then I'm gone. Never to wake again.

_**This is a dark chapter isn't it? Don't worry, there's still more! Trust me; I'm not dark and creepy like this story in real life. Please review! It means a lot. Also sorry if you got bored while reading the long paragraphs. I just felt that Katniss needed to think about a lot of things as she prepared to die. Don't get mad at me if I don't update in a few days! ~Laura**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Yay! 11 reviews so far. Sorry I couldn't update this very recently, there is a lot of school projects and stuff I have to keep in mind. Thank you for reading my story! And remember, reviews=happy me=faster writing.**_

Katniss as We Know it

Peeta P.O.V.:

My sobs continue on and on. When I must've cried out all my tears, it turns out there are more. Nothing will ever stop them from flowing. Hopefully, I will eventually dehydrate myself for letting go of all this excess water. Then when I'm dehydrated, I'll die and live with Katniss forever. Maybe I'll just starve myself to death. I begin to think of different ways I could die. Nobody in their right mind would give me a weapon at this point. So stabbing myself isn't a choice for suicide. _Are you, are you, coming to the tree…._ That song that Katniss used to sing plays in my head. Rope. I have none. Plus, where are there any trees to hang myself from? I look up to see if there is any other means of suicide possibilities around me. None whatsoever. Cressida and our crew huddle nearby, unsure of what to do. And there's Gale lying on the pavement. I crawl over to the hole where I banished Katniss to. Sitting cross-legged, I let my tears drop through the hole. They make a tiny _Splish _sound as they hit the ground.

Suddenly, a wave of anger washes through me. But this time it's not for my dead love. It's for me. I feel no self-pity, only self-loathing. How could I let this happen? It was my job to protect her in life, and I let her down. There is nothing for me now. I might as well die. Yes, death seems rather pleasurable right now. But do I deserve something pleasurable? I just caused the death of someone that I love. Shouldn't I be punished for that? The ultimate punishment would be life. For then I would have to live out my days in sorrow. _But I don't want to do that._ I decide I'll allow myself to die, but first I need the means to do it by. Something halts my thoughts. A sound, so quiet, comes up towards me from Katniss' direction. The words are floating on the wind. I freeze in terror, fearing that the words are _I hate you_.

"I love you Peeta…" The voices say.

This makes me feel even guiltier. How could Katniss still love me after I just sent her to death? I do not deserve her love. I do not deserve anything.

Heartbroken, I reply with a shaky "I love you Katniss…" I wonder if she even survived those last few seconds to hear my reply. I love Katniss. Katniss loves me. Katniss is dead. Katniss is dead because of me. I'm worthless. Slowly, I force myself to say goodbye to her. I cover up the hole and slide the plate into place. It results in a loud _click_. Soon I realize that my energy has left me. I couldn't open that manhole again if I tried. But I know I had to close it. Those mutts would be scrambling up here as soon as they finished eating Katniss' body. I shiver at the ugly thought. My suicide could've been just giving in to the mutts, but Gale deserved to hear of Katniss' death from the man that caused it. He did love her too.

It seems like hours till Gale finally regains consciousness (though it's probably only been half an hour). Immediately he sits up and glances around. Apparently unaware of the dried blood clogging his nose.

"Where's Katniss?" He asks kind of groggily.

I'm about to answer when I see the look in his eyes. They go quickly from questioning to sorrow to hatred. It scares me. But telling Gale of Katniss' fate was the sole reason for me not committing suicide right away. "I h-had an a-att-attack and," I stumble on the word attack. I had attacked Katniss. My throat closes up and my tears only make it harder to speak. "And I-I lost it, Gale" I nod towards the direction of the hole. I can't speak anymore. I can't even really see. Now that I think about it, I can only _feel_, and I feel wet. Wet tears.

Gale knows what I mean by my indication. He clenches his fist and grits his teeth while trying not to cry. _What's the point of acting tough?_ I want to ask him. But I leave him to his feelings and actions. Hoping, maybe he will kill me. But his next words sadden me.

"I'm not going to kill you, Mellark." Gale says. A tear escapes his eyes. He angrily wipes it away, frustrated at his futile attempt at being strong.

"Why?" I ask, because I genuinely want to know.

"Because…she wouldn't have wanted me too…" He replies. His tears fall freely now. And Gale soon gives up on wiping them away.

An awkward silence develops. _Two heartbroken men crying their eyes out and who don't even try to comfort each other._ That's what we are. "Do you want to live?" I ask Gale. He waits a long time before responding.

"Yes and no. I'll never be the same without Katniss, but I have to be there for my family." He says.

I understand what he means. Gale has people to go back to; on the other hand, I do not.

"Do you want to live?" He asks me hoarsely.

"No" I reply grimly. "End it for me" I ask him.

Gale must've seen the pleading look in my eyes. "She wouldn't want me to" He says.

"I don't care, besides it wouldn't be out of hatred, you would be killing me out of my own desire" I say back.

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Surer than I'll ever be."

Gale lends me his hand. I take it in one last act of peace between us. I stand up and run my hands through my hair. Gale holds his hand out. We shake hands. Gale walks away and picks up his fallen rifle. Loading it with one bullet, he turns to face me. Am I imagining it, or is there a fragment of sadness in his eyes? _Must be for Katniss, definitely not for me_ I think dismissing the thought. I straighten my back and take a deep breath. Gale positions his fingers on the gun. I draw an _X_ over my heart. A wave of sorrow cascades down on me while I remember telling Katniss to shoot Cato's hand in our first Games. I drew an X over his hand to tell her where to shoot.

"You were always hard to hate, Mellark." Gale says. "Dying like this," He shakes his head. "Proves your worth." The next words stun me. "I'll miss you bakerboy."

"Thanks for that." I say. His grey eyes bore into my blue ones. Gale steadies the gun and aims at my heart. I hold my breath and force myself to keep my eyes open while I prepare for the shot.


	5. Chapter 5

_**First, I want to thank you all who reviewed! 16 reviews woot woot! You guys encourage me to write faster (happy dances!). Anyway, glad you liked last chapter, here's the next one. Also, I've already planned the next couple of events in this story, so don't think I'm not reading your suggestions (because I am!).**_

Katniss as We Know it

Peeta P.O.V.:

I stand there and look at Gale. He stares back. _I wonder if he's glad to be done with me._ Gale never was my "best friend" or anything. There was always a tension between us (that of course Katniss caused). My body went rigid as I anticipated the shot. Suicide is never easy, your body wants to run away, but your mind has other plans. It took all my willpower just to stand there in the gun's aim.

"On three?" I ask Gale. He nods curtly.

"One" Gale says. _I wonder if he'll break down and start crying._

"Two" He says. _Will I miss this world?_ Suddenly, I want to stop Gale from shooting me. But the thought fades and I start to get excited about the thought of seeing Katniss again.

"Three" Gale says it rather fast. I can see his eyes go wide for a second. _What? Is he scared of shooting me?_ A clear, crisp shot rings out and bounces off every surface around. I accept a searing pain that will only last for a second, but it never comes. Despite my efforts to keep my eyes open, they close.

"Dammit!" I hear Gale shout. _He must have missed me, which is rather embarrassing._ But when I open my eyes, Gale isn't staring at me. He seems to be looking over my shoulder. I glance down and see a pool of blood glittering just behind my feet. I whip around and am faced with the devil. President Snow stares at me with an amused look. This angers me, what is funny and how did he get here? My eyes travel down towards the ground where a guard lays with a bullet through his head. Then it becomes clear to me. Gale must've seen them approach me from behind, so he tried to kill Snow. But the guard jumped in front of his master to save him. Gale probably cussed because Snow didn't get shot.

"Well, what do we have here, Soldier Mellark and Hawthorne?" Snow hisses. He steps over his dead guard and pulls me with him. I stumble over the ground as we walk towards Gale. _Stupid Gale! Why did he only put one bullet in?_ Gale glares at Snow and Snow glares back.

"You two, will be coming with me." Snow chides.

Before we can react, the other two guards come and take us by the arm. I don't resist them because they will obviously kill us and that _is_ what I want. Gale resists though. He screams foul things at the guards as they pull him along. Gale. He'll never go without a fight. The rest of our squad comes along with us too. As we trudge along, President Snow fills us in on what is currently happening.

"Ms. Everdeen is deceased, am I correct?" He asks. I wonder how he got that information. But then again, there are cameras everywhere, so he probably got me killing her on tape. I shudder.

"Soldier. Soldier Everdeen." Gale corrects him. It's distasteful for Snow to even speak Katniss' name. _Oh Katniss! I'll be with you soon!_ Can't we just die now?

"Yes, well, the _late_ Katniss has done nothing to support her rebels." Snow says.

_What? Are the rebels going to face defeat just because their leader died? _But then I realize that I have faced defeat by wanting to commit suicide.

"Once the rebels have heard of her death," Snow continues. "They will be forced to plead guilty of their actions and the main rebel leaders will be executed. Making the rebels plead guilty shouldn't be hard because they'll already be heartbroken that their poor Mockingjay has died." He adds in a sinister voice.

My hopes are high, that I'll finally be able to die. But my happiness ends when Snow announces our fate.

"Mellark and Hawthorne, I have quite different plans for you." Snow smiles, he will surely relish the next sentence or two. "Peeta, death sounds rather pleasurable to you right now, doesn't it?" I nod my head vigorously. "Well than, you can live." He says. "And live out your years mourning Katniss and sleeping in a prison cell."

This makes me angry. What good am I alive? What is the point of living? Without thinking I push away from my guard and shove President Snow to the ground. I'm about to start pounding on his face but Gale's guard pulls me off him. Gale, not having a weapon, can't take advantage of being free from his guard. The guard gives me a well-deserved punch to my face and tightens his grip on my arm.

"Uncalled for!" Snow says innocently. And with that we continue on our way.

We are told there is to be a speech in the square explaining how our rebellion has failed. Gale and I are supposed to admit defeat and accept our punishments. We are ushered into Snow's mansion first though. Apparently we have to look good for this speech. We're directed to a room and told to sit down. I don't sit down. I'm tired of doing what the Capitol wants. We're instructed to also memorize our scripted speech. I leaf through the papers but soon just give up on it. I wait for our foretold stylists to enter. Soon enough, unknown stylists silently come in and whisk Gale away to a different dressing room. The strange capitol people dress me in a fine black suit. They comb my blonde hair and add a little bit of blush to my face. When I look in the mirror, I see a scared boy. That's exactly what I looked like right before my first games. But now, I look a little older. The stylists waltz out of the room and leave me to despair.

Looking around the room, I see roses. _Ugh._ I remember how much Katniss hated their smell. There's actual roses, portraits of roses, rose shaped candy, and tons of other rose themed things. This makes me sick. I jump out of my seat and start to inspect the room. _What should I destroy first?_ I walk over to the painting of a single rose. I yank the canvas from the frame and start tearing it to pieces. Then, for good measure, I spit on each piece. Next, I tip over the bowl of candies. Crushing them beneath my feet, I tell myself that Katniss would laugh at this. She would do anything to irk Snow. _But she can't laugh, you killed her._ In my sudden despair I run, full throttle, at the rose in the crystal vase. I bring my hand down and it falls to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. I snatch up the wilted rose from the floor and hold it in my trembling hands.

"Katniss loved me" I pull off the first petal.

"Katniss loved me not" There goes the second petal.

"Katniss loved me" The third petal flutters to the floor.

"Katniss loved me not" I literally rip off the fourth petal.

I continue this for about a minute or so till I only have one petal left in my hand. I cry as I speak what this petal means.

"Katniss loved me"

"Having a bit of fun are we?" Asks Snow as he barges through the previously locked double doors. He glances around the room and gives me an uninterested look. "It's time for your speech, Mellark. All of Panem is waiting."

I hesitantly follow him like a loyal dog. Somehow, I find myself standing in the Capitol square. Gale is off to my left and is crying. I follow his gaze and see what he's looking at. A heartbroken Prim, dressed in the rebel medic clothes, holds on to Mrs. Everdeen.

"Ahem!" President Snow clears his throat. "We are gathered here today to access the rebellion. Katniss Everdeen, whom you call the Mockingjay, is dead." I swear that Gale, Prim, Mrs. Everdeen, and I all flinch at the same time. "I hope you rebels understand that this means your plan has failed to overcome the Capitol." There's a brief pause. "You will be expected to plead guilty to your acts of treason and the leaders of this failed rebellion will be executed."

President Snow continues on for what seems like hours. Explaining how the Capitol will never be overthrown. He even laughs at one point at how feeble our attempt was. His speech closes and he beckons Gale and I to the stage. We go through our scripted lines and say them with no emotion. I decide to add something that wasn't scripted, and hopefully, they'll shoot me for doing so.

"Katniss was, no-still, is the greatest woman I ever knew. She died at the hands of me. I admit that I murdered her and there is nothing I can do about it." I burst into tears. I can't go on, so Gale takes over for me.

"Katniss was my best friend. And everyone will be sad to see her go, except," Gale nods towards President Snow, "Him."

An angry and very flustered President Snow strides up to the microphone so he can regain control of his speech. "That is quite enough from you Hawthorne!" He snaps. We're roughly pushed away as Snow talks about something else. I mostly zone out until the very end. Snow begins to say something very frightening.

"Oh yes! I almost forgot to mention, the Hunger Games will continue! And there's sure to be interesting contestants." With that, Snow turns to look into the crowd. He gaze fixes on a person in the crowd, and my heart nearly stops. Prim is going to be in the next Hunger Games, despite her sister's effort of keeping her out.

_**So, what did you think? Please **__**review**__** and tell me! Also, PM me with your ideas and if I use them, I'll be sure to thank you in my coming chapters. Any suggestions on next events? Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Ok! Big thank you to everyone who reviewed! (meercat102, MidnightWillowTree, HELLO2-4, mimic022, .., osteo29, NorthernLights25, U saw me on the crime channel, anon, DJ shmritz, La Bella Rose Noire, and finally GirlOnFire99). SUPER thank-you to people who reviewed MORE than once! I know what you all are thinking right now: Why has it taken her so long to update? Well, stupid Microsoft Word stopped working and wouldn't let me open any files! Finally, it magically worked today (thank God!) and I can update again! So here's the next chapter, and remember, if you want to see this story head a certain direction, please PM me and I'll try to fill your needs. Otherwise, you'll just have to put up with the way I'm writing things (which might not be super awesome!). Alright, I'll shut up now.**_

Katniss as We Know it

Peeta P.O.V.:

I make an odd sound in the back of my throat. _No! Prim can't go in the Hunger Games!_ Snow will surely have her die a terrible death. But what can I do to stop it? I mean, I'll try anything to protect her now that Katniss is dead, but what _can_ I do? Thinking about Katniss, I gulp down my tsunami of tears. I have to be strong on this stage, for Panem, for Katniss, for Prim, for everyone. I will sacrifice my life (not to mention I will do it gladly) to save Prim's. Katniss would've done so. With my goal in mind, I risk a glance in Prim's direction. She is crying. But not crazy all out sobs like I had just a few hours ago. Their silent tears. The tiny drops of water trickle down her face and into her mother's cupped hands. Mrs. Everdeen is trying to sound calm, but I can tell it's hard for her to stop her trembling hands. What if she leaves again just like when Mr. Everdeen died? Then Prim will have no one to guide her. That's why I have to be there. Gale will be there for her too. There's no question about it. I turn my head and face Gale. He looks at me. Staring deep in his eyes, I see sentences forming. There is no need for spoken words.

_We will fight for Prim; it's what Katniss would want._ Gale seems to tell me.

_Yes, and not go down without a fight._ I tell him. It's weird how somebody's eyes can tell you so much.

_We need a plan. _He replies.

_Later when there's time, we'll think of something._ I say back. Our silent agreement ends and we're left to look back at the crowd.

Peacekeepers drag Prim and her mom away to a Capitol building. Both of them hold each other tightly at the waist. Nothing will make them let go._ Until the Games._ I think glumly. Suddenly, the anthem blasts through every speaker within a mile. This signifies the end of the speech. Guards jog over to Gale and I, and begin to cuff our wrists.

"What's the big hurry? It's not like we're going anywhere." I tell them. But for whatever reason, they don't respond, and continue with their job, manacling our ankles as well. Soon enough, we're ushered back into Snow's mansion and led to our own room. Before I can ask what's going to happen next, I see a guard pull a pen looking thing out of his pocket, and shove it in my arm. There's a faint zapping sensation, and then, I black out.

I wake up to find myself lying face down on a plush mattress. My nose feels mushed so I roll over on my back. Only too late do I realize that I've rolled the wrong way. I land on the ground with a heavy _thump! _The floor beneath me groans.

"Ugh." I reply to the ground. I realize that my wrists have been unshackled and my ankles too. The skin feels raw and scratchy.

I open my eyes and stare at the blank ceiling. I do this for who knows how long. I imagine Katniss and our never to be children running and laughing in the meadow. The scene is so beautiful that I wish I had a paintbrush and paint to draw it out. I let out a content sigh. But then I realize my predicament. Forcing myself out of my daydream and onto my feet, I stand and look around the room. There is a bed, bathroom, and a mirror. I carefully unhook the mirror from the wall and look at my reflection. The scarred and battered boy stares back. I waste no time in smashing the delicate glass. I have no need to see myself anymore.

I wonder where Gale is. He and I have to think of a plan to save Prim. Where's Prim? I bet she's being treated well and living somewhere in the mansion. After she's fattened up like a pig, she'll be sent into the Hunger Games. _Just like Katniss, I, and all the other tributes were._

Suddenly, a door I hadn't noted previously before, opens and a small girl walks in. She carefully places the tray she's been carrying on the ground and turns around to leave.

"Thank you." I say. I don't even know what's on the tray yet.

The girl nods and hurries out of the room. Right before she exits, I notice her cheeks and jaw. They seem out of order. _She must be an Avox_ I conclude.

I walk gingerly over to the tray and inspect its contents. There's some stale bread, a rotting apple, and a carton of spoiled milk. I excitedly down all of the food. Perhaps the Capitol is trying to help with my suicide. My stomach rumbles in disagreement and threatens to send everything back up again. I ignore the protests my body makes and climb back into the bed. I pull the sheets over my head and somehow drift asleep. Every second of sleeping is filled with nightmares, which are only too true.

_**Once again, sorry about my technological problem with updating! Hopefully I won't happen again. Tell me what you think. I love getting reviews (C'mon, give me at least a total of 25 reviews, only 3 more!). **_

_**POLL: Do you think Katniss should really be dead in this story?**_


	7. Chapter 7

Katniss As We Know it

Peeta P.O.V.:

Waking up is hard to do by itself. Waking up in the Capitol is even harder.

I blink a few times and look around my cell. The remnants of my dinner from yesterday have been removed and replaced with an equally disappointing breakfast. I swing my legs over the rock hard bed and begin to walk towards the food. This food poisoning thing might actually work.

But I stumble and fall to the concrete floor. My legs feel like jelly and get a tingling sensation as I begin to pick myself up. There are two eggs on the tray; one is too raw, the other looks like a piece of charcoal. My orange juice is being used as a swimming pool for fruit flies. But without second thought, I gulp everything down.

Today my stomach is not going to comply. I rush to the bathroom and lean over the chipping porcelain toilet. I heave my insides out. Once that "chore" is done, I trudge over the bed and collapse. _This is life from now on _I think to myself.

"Life's good, ain't it boy?" says a slurred voice from the door of my room.

I flip over and stare at the bloodshot eyes of Haymitch Abernathy. He has the chained hands of a prisoner and holds the familiar bottle of wine in his dirty paws. "Want ssssooommme?" He extends his arm out and offers me the drink.

I get up, and grab it. I take a swig, and it seems to cloud my depressing thoughts.

"How are you here?" I manage to choke out.

"Well I, I, ummm…walked" Haymitch is not surprisingly drunk.

"I assumed that much." I decide to be patient with him. I spot the wine cork opener in the doorknob. He must have picked the lock.

The next few hours consist of us telling stories about Katniss. But no story is ever completed; it ends up with our tears. We drink the bottle of wine. Then somehow, Haymitch tells an Avox to bring more. We drink that one also. About on our seventh bottle of wine, Haymitch and I are very much drunk.

"Remember Effie's hair?" I ask. This conversation is taking on a different turn.

Haymitch laughs. "It's like cotton candy boy!"

We both start to laugh like maniacs and run around the small cell.

"I dare you to lick her hair." I say as I point to the wall.

"You're a lucky lady." Haymitch sweet-talks the wall. Then he lays a sloppy, alcohol scented kiss right on the cool concrete.

"Hey Haymitch,"

"What do you want?"

"Let's go play with the other boys." This cell has me cooped up.

"Alright." Haymitch stands to his feet and picks the lock once more.

We run through the halls and find the guards in a little room playing cards. They look up with confused faces.

"What are you doing?" One of them cries out.

Haymitch and I run to the other side of the room and grab their guns off the wall. The guards snarl and put their hands up. I shoot one in the knee and watch him double over in pain. Haymitch does the same.

"Woooohooo!" He yells with excitement.

A siren begins to sound. I can hardly hear it though; the blood pounding in my ears drowns it out. We stumble through the halls and shoot like complete madmen. I hear shouts coming from behind us. We're breaking out of the Capitol!

"I got a hovercraft on the roof." Haymitch says raggedly. "Let's escape."

"Wait, I gotta pick somethin' up." I bend down another corner and quickly pick the lock of another room. Inside, I carefully scoop up the delicate form of Prim. Haymitch gets her mother too.

We race up four flights of stairs. I hear the pounding of soldier's boots below us. Out on the rooftop lays an awaiting hovercraft. And none other than Johanna Mason sits inside it.

"Let's go!" She yells.

Haymitch pushes an awakening Prim, Ms. Everdeen, and I through the tightfitting door. He then clambers in himself.

The hovercraft lifts in the nick of time while we all lay down on the hard cots provided. I form one thought before the alcohol really gets to my head: Never underestimate the power of drunken people.

_**Yay! Another chapter! Sorry for it being so short! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. There are quite a few unanswered questions that I'll answer later. As usual, I would be super happy if you guys reviewed. I might even bring Katniss back, it depends if I get any suggestions for how this story should unravel. Love you guys so much! XXX**_

_**~Laura**_


	8. Author's Note

I give you all permission to hunt me down and kill me. I am so sorry for not updating this story in such a long time. I really have no excuse except that I got the dreaded writer's block. This wasn't even supposed to be more than one chapter anyway. Originally just a one-shot. So, shall I delete the other chapters and leave it as a one-shot? That is my plan. Let me know otherwise if you disagree or have other suggestions. And once again, I'm so sorry. I probably got your hopes up too, thinking this was an update.

xxx

CCE


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